Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.

Several other research firms have also commented on ALV. Daiwa Capital Markets raised shares of Autoliv from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Autoliv from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Bank of America cut their target price on Autoliv from $137.00 to $134.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Autoliv from $101.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Autoliv from $103.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $121.62.

Autoliv Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:ALV opened at $97.73 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $97.67. Autoliv has a 1 year low of $89.51 and a 1 year high of $129.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.59.

Autoliv (NYSE:ALV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 18th. The auto parts company reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.00 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Autoliv had a return on equity of 30.85% and a net margin of 5.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.66 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Autoliv will post 8.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Autoliv Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.87%. This is an increase from Autoliv’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. Autoliv’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Autoliv

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ALV. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Autoliv by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 273 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Autoliv by 133.5% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 362 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC bought a new position in Autoliv during the 3rd quarter worth $45,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 14.0% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 954 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Autoliv by 2,115.5% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,282 shares of the auto parts company’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 2,179 shares during the period. 69.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Autoliv

Autoliv, Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies.